Thanks, Jonathon, for the "Hoyle" article.
Regarding submittal schedules, on a few project CPM schedules, I've seen Submittal activities noted, beginning with when major submittals from subcontractors or suppliers are required. That is a nice reminder for everyone who deals with them.
On some projects, I've encountered what I consider to be GC's weasel stamp (apologies to weasels) which says something like "subcontractor is responsible to get it right". Some of those times, I've asked the GC's PM if such a stamp means that they are abrogating their responsibility to coordinate the work; some of them were bright enough to understand what I was asking, others just had a blank look. Other times, I just crossed out the part of the text that tried to wash their hands of the responsibility.
I have edited the Div 01 Submittals section to include text stating that material received which does not show GC's review will be returned without comment. That was in response to GCs who forwarded submittals without any review.
Regarding "work installed without an approved submittal" - you can tell the contractor that you can't determine if such conforms to the contract requirements, and so you will not certify payment for it. If that doesn't get the message across, estimate and withhold an amount appropriate for removing the non-conforming work as well. Hard ball, but occasionally necessary.
On one project where my role was as Owner's rep, the fire sprinkler system design ignored the need to coordinate above-ceiling space with ductwork, and the sprinkler pipes went in first. This caused a lot of duct offsets (extra expense for the HVAC subcontractor, and reduced efficiency for the air distribution, extra static pressure (and higher operating and maintenance/replacement costs eventually) for the Owner. Something the GC could have dealt with. We turned down their attempt to pass-through HVAC subcontractor's request for additional payment.
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Joel Niemi AIA
Joel Niemi Architect
Snohomish, WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-10-2025 01:49 PM
From: Jonathan Taylor
Subject: re: According to Hoyle: The Submittal Process
Gustavo Lima recently reposted the 20-year-old article "According to Hoyle: The Submittal Process." I couldn't reply directly to the article post, so I'm commenting here instead.
What a fabulous read - thank you for sharing it! I encourage everyone to revisit this piece.
Near the end, in the "Tough Cards to Play" section, there's a recommendation for architects to send the contractor an AIA Document G716 (Request for Information). The form itself notes it can be used among the owner, architect, and contractor - but I'm curious: does anyone actually send RFIs to the contractor or owner in practice?
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Jonathan Taylor AIA
LLB Architects
Providence RI
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